One Step Ahead
by Lady Genjutsu
Summary: *Complete* Chris needs to find more powerful weapons and is dismayed when Nash seems to be the only one able to help her. ChrisxNash. Please R&R! ^_^
1. Part One

Disclaimer: I own nothing. Konami owns everything.  
  
A/N: This was originally supposed to be a one short story, but it turned out kind of long and I thought 12 pages of solid text would discourage people from reading it, so I've broken it into three short parts. This story is my attempt at exploring the strange love/hate relationship that Nash and Chris seem to have going on. I tried really hard to keep them in character, but I won't lie, it was hard! Anyway, enough of my rambling, I hope you like it! ________________________________________________________________________  
  
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One Step Ahead  
  
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*~*~*~*~*  
  
Part One  
  
*~*~*~*~*  
  
Chris Lightfellow was having a bad day.  
  
Why couldn't one thing go right? Just one? Things just kept getting worse and worse. First she took on the power of the True Fire Rune and became the leader of the Fire Bringer, only to have it sucked back out of her by some madman who sought to destroy his own rune, himself, and potentially taking the rest of the world along with him. Then her battle strategist, Caesar, told her that he was carrying out the ritual to destroy the Rune at the Ceremonial Site.  
  
She and the Fire Bringer went to infiltrate the Ceremonial Site, only to be greeted by beasts that all but destroyed them. The raid a complete failure, she spent the rest of the day making sure everyone was accounted and discussing with Caesar what had gone wrong.  
  
Their problem was obvious: Their weapons were simply not strong enough. The castle blacksmith, Peggi, said that their weapons just couldn't be upgraded anymore, at least, not without a better hammer. They had already gotten the best equipment they could find, but it just wasn't good enough. The only thing Caesar could suggest was that she try to find some information on hammers in the library. Chris however, was never good at research and the thought of looking through rows of endless books with no clue where to start made her feel ill.  
  
And so, feeling defeated, Chris slowly ascended the stairs of Budehuc castle to her room, dragging her feet as she finally reached the top. It wasn't that late, but the moon was already large, full, and visible through the large whole in the wall of the castle. It served as her only light as she resignedly made her way down the hall to the last door where her bedroom was.  
  
What else could possibly go wrong?  
  
"You look tired." The voice came from the shadows somewhere at the end of the hallway, but then a figure stepped into view. Chris saw the silhouette of the speaker and she instantly knew who it was.  
  
Chris inwardly groaned. She really didn't feel like dealing with *him* right now. "What are you doing here, Nash?"  
  
Nash took a step out of the shadows towards her, and his form was illuminated by the moonlight. He leaned against the wall, crossing his arms, a lock of blonde hair swaying to the side as his taller form looked down at her slightly. "I'm a little upset that you didn't take me with you to the Ceremonial Site today." She could tell from the smirk on his face that he was being slightly sarcastic, and she fought a wave of rage. He was always being sarcastic with her.  
  
"I was saving your skills for after the initial penetration of the area. Besides, I probably saved you from open wounds, broken limbs, and worse. If you haven't heard, it was a complete failure." Chris opened the door to her room, and was going to enter quickly, wanting to get the man out of her hair as fast as she could.  
  
He moved into the doorway, blocking her. "I heard."  
  
"What do you want?" She asked again. She really *really* didn't want to deal with him right now.  
  
"You."  
  
Enraged, she pushed through him and slammed the door behind her. What an arrogant, foolish, sarcastic bastard!  
  
"I can see you're not in the mood for wit this evening." He called through the door.  
  
The rage was becoming harder to control, and she grit her teeth, not answering, praying to the goddess that he'd give it up and leave her alone.  
  
No such luck. "I really don't think it fair of you to take the fact that you have inadequate weapons out on me. I'm here to help, after all. But it's rather hard to converse through an oak door."  
  
How did he know about the weapon problem? She scratched the question out as soon as it entered her head. He always seemed to know these things even before she did.  
  
She opened the door a crack. She could see the smirk on his face illuminated by the moonlight. She wanted to slap him.  
  
"That's a bit better I suppose. I'd rather not stand in the hallway, peering through a sliver in a door to talk about such important matters, but I guess it will have to do." He didn't continue after he said this, however, and Chris knew he was inviting himself in.  
  
She wanted to slam the door in his smirking face, but she knew that she should probably hear what he had to say. Even if he had a roundabout way of getting to the point, his information was always useful. So, instead of fulfilling her desire to get him out of here face, she stepped back from the door, opening it enough for him to walk in.  
  
"Ah, now this is much better. A bit dark but we don't need to worry about lighting, it sets a nice mood." He said as he entered, and continued when he saw Chris' face staring at him irritably as she closed the door behind him. "Hey now, wipe that angry look off your face. I've come to ask you what you're planning to do about this weapon inefficiency."  
  
Chris rubbed her forehead at the mention of the topic. "I really don't know. The only thing left for me to do is search the library for hints on how we can craft more powerful weapons. But you've seen the library. It'd be like looking for a needle in a haystack. Luc will have already blown the world apart by the time I find it. Nevertheless, I'll start looking around tomorrow, it's all I can do."  
  
"As always, I'm one step ahead of you." He smirked, and revealed an old book in his left hand.  
  
Chris didn't give him the satisfaction of showing her astonishment and asking how he found it. Instead, she gave him a sceptical look, as though he may be tricking her. She knew he wasn't though. He always gave the real deal, as it were.  
  
Nash handed the book over. "Here, see for yourself."  
  
She opened it to a page that he had marked off. " 'The legendary Golden Hammer'." She read out loud. " 'The hammer was said to have magical abilities and forged incredibly powerful weapons. It hasn't been seen in decades, but many think it may reside somewhere in'." She trailed off, staring at the page.  
  
"Iksay." He finished. "Practically around the corner."  
  
"How do you know this is legitimate?" She inquired, closing the book shut and handing it back to him. Anything to keep from showing him her astonishment or gratitude.  
  
He shrugged. "I don't really. But if it is true, we're a heartbeat away from forging weapons that could actually prove useful in battle. And it is better than spending the rest of the Fire Bringer's recuperating time among dusty old books, looking for better leads, isn't it?"  
  
Chris sighed. He was right. Again. Goddess, she hated that.  
  
"Anyway, we should get going. If we leave now, we can get there before midnight, spend the remainder of the night there, and have a bright early start there tomorrow morning." He said, turning towards the door.  
  
The anger, which she had been fading away until this point, returned tenfold. "What? First of all, what makes you think I'm going tonight, and second, who says I'm taking you?!"  
  
He turned back towards her, his composure not faltering in the least at her outburst. "Well it's quite simple really. You're going tonight because you won't be able to sleep knowing that the hammer is so close within your grasp, and you'd just end up pacing your room all night worrying about it. You're taking me with you, because everyone else is either recuperating from the failed attack at the Ceremonial Site, or else doing everything they can to keep this castle running smoothly, and from going bankrupt. You can't go alone; your knights would not permit it. Of the few people left available, I am the most practical person to take along because not only did I find the book, I know how to talk to people to get what I want, which will be a skill invaluable to you if you must obtain the hammer from some seedy merchant. Need I continue?" He asked when Chris began rubbing her forehead again.  
  
She tried to answer, but stood before him in silence, desperately trying to find some fault in his explanation, and of course, finding none. Not that she could really think straight in her rage. He was so arrogant! And he always had that damned smirk!  
  
"Shall I prepare the horses?" He asked finally.  
  
"I hate you."  
  
"Splendid. I'll meet you downstairs as soon as you're ready." With that, Nash turned and left the room.  
  
"I could kill him. I really could." She muttered to herself as the door shut behind him.  
  
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A/N: Hope it's not too bad. Reviews are nice, but please no flames from Percival/Chris, Borus/Chris, Hugo/Chris fans! Just for the record, I like reading about those pairings too! So yes, please review and please be gentle! ^_^ 


	2. Part Two

A/N: Really everyone, thank you SO much for all your generous reviews! *hugs Lynn Utsukushii* Now I'm terrified that the next two parts won't live up to the first one! Not a whole lot happens in part two, and it's the shortest. It takes a closer look at Chris' feelings for Nash, and it sets up the next part. As for Nash's marital status, I'm well aware of his 'missus' but. There's no actual proof that he *is* married, he only claims to be. I'm not saying he isn't but it is sort of a grey area since no one really knows for sure either way. Regardless, I can't help it. I love this pairing. ^_^  
  
*~*~*~*~*  
  
Part Two  
  
*~*~*~*~*  
  
Miraculously, Nash remained silent for the almost the entire duration of the ride to Iksay. As the trip was a couple hours long by horse, the extended silence left her to her thoughts.  
  
Why did she agree to this? Why is it that Nash always somehow managed to get his way? He made her so angry! She hated everything about him.  
  
She hated his sarcasm and mockery. She hated how he always knew things before she did, how he always managed to stay ahead of every situation. It infuriated her how she was so predictable and simple to him, when he was so complex and mysterious to her. Sometimes he seemed to know more about her than she knew about herself. She hated how he made flirtatious advances towards her despite her status as a knight as his *supposed* status as a married man, and how he made flirting with her some kind of a game. She couldn't stand the way he would gaze at her with his pale green eyes, boring into her as though he could see every thought in her head. She hated the way it made her feel when he looked at her; like a simple, lost little girl.  
  
He was always one step ahead of her, no matter what the circumstances.  
  
And yet, though it all, she found that she was drawn to him somehow. His confidence and assertive attitude was reassuring. His skills and wisdom caused her to look up to him, and more than she cared to admit. He was incredibly observant and quick-witted. She grew to like his searching, yet surprisingly gentle gazes. She began to notice how soft his blonde hair looked when it fell to the side in front of his eye, and how incredibly well built he was for a man in his late thirties. Through all his mockery and foolish flirtation, she found a strange sort of comfort in him. Deep down, she knew this was the reason she continued to confide in him, that this was the real reason she hated him; she loved him.  
  
Chris experienced a small spasm of shock and horror when she realized where her thoughts were going. What was she thinking? Such nonsense!  
  
She began to reason with herself desperately. She was tired, and her thoughts were not sensible right now. But it wasn't anything to worry about. People think silly things when they've overexerted themselves, right?  
  
"Are you alright?" Nash asked, jerking her from her thoughts.  
  
"What?"  
  
"You look a little shaken about something." Those uncannily sharp observation skills he had were putting her at a disadvantage.  
  
"I'm just tired." She replied hastily.  
  
Nash gave her a sidelong glance from his horse and chuckled a little, but wisely remained silent when Chris glared at him.  
  
She managed to keep her thoughts in check for the remainder of the trip.  
  
*~*~*~*~*  
  
As Nash had predicted, it was around midnight when they arrived in Iksay. Chris was very tired, but now that she was here she knew that they were one step closer to overcoming this whole weapon mess. They left their horses in the stable by the inn, and proceeded into the building, hoping that someone would be at the front desk at this late hour.  
  
A middle-aged woman was slumped over the front desk, apparently having worked late and fallen asleep.  
  
Nash stepped forward, but Chris intervened. "Let me handle this." She stated, leaving no room for objections. Nash shrugged and gestured for her to address the slumbering woman.  
  
"Excuse me?" She called softly, and the woman snorted awake, startled.  
  
"Who- Wha-? Oh. Oh! I'm terribly sorry! Methinks I must have dozed off. What time is it?" The innkeeper asked, a little groggily.  
  
"It's really quite late, and we're sorry for intruding at this time of night but if you have any rooms to accommodate us, we would be very grateful." Chris replied, with a slight bow of her head.  
  
"Ay, of course! Yeh must be tired, having travelled to this village in the middle of nowhere! Now let me see, I'm not sure if I've got any rooms left, we're not a very big inn, see? Ah yes! I have one room left for yehs."  
  
Chris visibly stiffened. "Erm. Just one?"  
  
"Ay, how very lucky you two are. We don't have many visitors here, but with so many people coming to help repair the village after the raid a while back, the rooms have almost always been full." She trailed off a bit when she caught Chris' expression, which was nothing short of traumatized. "Eh. Is something the matter?" Obviously the woman had mistaken the two as a couple and was baffled Chris' hesitation.  
  
"Eh. Well." Chris stammered.  
  
"Accommodating us both in one room? Intolerable!" Nash mocked, just loud enough for Chris to hear him.  
  
She shot a death glare over her shoulder at him. How dare he mock her! If she refused the room now, he'd complain and torment her about her female squeamishness for the rest of her days.  
  
"We'll take it!" She snapped, dumping the required potch on the counter and snatching the key from the innkeeper, who looked utterly bewildered. "Let's go!" She practically shouted at Nash.  
  
"One moment." Nash moved over in front of Chris to get the innkeepers attention. "I know it is late to be asking this, but would you or anyone in this village know something about this?" He held out the old book to the page containing the information on the Golden Hammer.  
  
The innkeeper dragged her astonished stare away from Chris and onto the book presented to her. "Ohhh, that? Ay, it's an antique. Said to have magical powers. It used to be an heirloom of the village blacksmith, but he was unable to wield it; was too powerful for him, he said. He sold it to the rarity shop just next door. It's up for sale, but for a pretty potch."  
  
Nash glanced over at Chris, who had temporarily forgotten her rage in light of this new information. Nash raised a brow, and smiled, and Chris, despite herself, smiled back slightly.  
  
"Well then, we'll just have to pay that shop a little visit tomorrow, won't we love?" He pocketed the book and grinned as Chris' face clouded over again at the thought of being referred to as his wife, and she turned to leave, anger returning.  
  
Nash leaned apologetically over the counter to the innkeeper just as Chris started marching up the stairs, knowing full well she could hear. "You'll have to excuse the missus, she's a little overbearing sometimes, and a bit *eager* for bed, if you know what I mean." Nash winked at the stunned innkeeper.  
  
Chris nearly exploded with rage.  
  
________________________________________________________________________  
  
A/N: Okay, so nothing too significant happened, I know. But it's setting things up for the last part. Part three should be up soon. Once again, reviews are greatly appreciated! Thank you so much for continuing to read this! ^_^ 


	3. Part Three

A/N: Okay here it is finally, the last part. Sorry about the delay, I was kind of hesitant to put it up because I wasn't sure if what happens in this chapter was too much of a stretch for two. MercWanderer, you make a valid point about sharing tents/rooms, but for the purposes of this fic we're just going to assume that because Chris is upper-class and always used to living in comfort, she always got her own room/tent or else shared it with the other females in the party at the time.  
  
(Oh yes, one small technical issue. Every time I type three periods in a row, for example when characters are trailing off when talking, it only does one period instead. I've tried to solve this by separating the periods but I don't know if it will work or not. Anyway, please forgive me if the format seems a little weird because of it.)  
  
*~*~*~*~*  
  
Part Three  
  
*~*~*~*~*  
  
" 'Eager for bed'?!?!" Chris hissed, her anger pushed to the point of hysteria. "The mere thought of being in the same room with you for more than fifteen minutes disgusts me, but words cannot describe how appalled I am at what you just implied to the innkeeper!"  
  
She ranted on for a while, and Nash let her, apparently unaffected by Chris eruption of fury, and only ever interrupted to tell her to keep her voice down so as not to get them kicked out. She threw a couple of things at him which he easily dodged, and finally, she collapsed into a chair holding her head, too exhausted to continue with her tantrum.  
  
"Are you quite finished? All the noise your making is just going to confirm my implications to the innkeeper." He chuckled.  
  
Chris was at the end of her rope. "You are quite something, you know that Nash? Every time I think I can't possibly hate you more than I already do, you do something to infuriate me even further!"  
  
"I suppose it can't be helped." Nash replied with a nonchalant shrug. Either he didn't believe she really hated him, or he didn't care. Secretly she hoped it was the former.  
  
Exhaustion suddenly replaced her fury. "Look, I'm really tired. I think we should get some rest."  
  
They both looked at the single bed by the window. There was a moment's pause.  
  
"Right." Nash said. "I'll take the chair."  
  
Chris was once again filled with an inexplicable rage. She hated it when he feigned chivalry! It never occurred to her that Nash might have been genuine in attempting to do the gentlemanly thing.  
  
"Don't be ridiculous!" She snapped.  
  
Nash looked bewildered momentarily and her resolve wavered. But then he said, "Okay, fine then. You take the chair in all your Zexen armour."  
  
"Nash!" He was proving his point well, and she hated it when he was right. But she wasn't going to let him get the best of her.  
  
"What?"  
  
They both fell silent as they stared at each other. Chris was exasperated. Neither of them would get a good nights rest in the chair, and although one would think she would take pleasure in making the man she claimed to hate sleep in a chair, she couldn't. She would do the opposite just to spite him.  
  
"You can't sleep in the chair. You'll be no use to me bargaining with the merchant tomorrow if you squeeze half an hour of sleep out of that chair and wake up stiff and whiney." She said finally.  
  
She was sure that he was going to challenge the comment about him whining, but he didn't. "So what exactly are you suggesting?"  
  
Despite all her discipline in self-control, she felt the heat rise in her cheeks as she took a deep breath. "We can both lie there." She said, a little too quickly.  
  
It was evident from his unmasked expression of bewilderment, that he hadn't expected such a suggestion. If Chris weren't about to jump out the window from her embarrassment, she would have been able to take pleasure in the knowledge that, for once in her life, she had caught Nash off guard.  
  
However, he quickly regained his composure. He raised a brow and grinned slightly. "Such trust!"  
  
"Shut up. I don't trust you, but I do trust that you are intelligent enough to understand that if you touch me even once, my sword will remove whatever it must to ensure that it doesn't happen again. Is that clear?" She replied hastily, hoping her expression was as stern as her voice sounded.  
  
His other eyebrow also rose, but his voice was steady. "Quite."  
  
"Good."  
  
Silence fell once again, neither one of them moving.  
  
Nash gave Chris a sidelong glance. "So. Are we just going to stare at the bed all night, or are we actually going to get into it?"  
  
Chris shot him a warning look. Inside, however, she was in turmoil. Should she really be doing this? Could she really trust him? Deep down she knew she could. Did she *want* to trust him? No.  
  
Regardless, she began to remove her armour. She had to do this. It was a matter of saving face. She had to prove that he didn't intimidate her. She went slowly, so as not to get ahead of Nash, who had taken her lead and was removing his coat and the belt that sheathed his knife.  
  
He stripped right down to his pants and a rather thin green shirt. For a thirty-seven year old man, he was definitely in good shape.  
  
She turned away, blushing slightly at the thought. Reprimanding herself silently, she continued to remove her armour until she was left in a form fitting black body suit. She failed to hide her blush when she turned to find Nash gazing at her figure, much more prominent now that she had her armour off.  
  
Of course, seeing Chris' scarlet face, he couldn't let it go without commenting.  
  
"No need to be shy or self conscious, you know. You have quite the figure under all that metal."  
  
This, of course, only made her turn a brighter shade of crimson, but she managed to calm herself, knowing that Nash was probably trying to provoke this reaction. When she spoke her voice sounded was much cooler than she felt.  
  
"You're not so hard to look at either, for your age that is. But don't go getting any wonderful ideas! Remember what I said before!" She wasn't sure who she was more surprised at; He for suddenly looking a little self-conscious, or herself for having actually paid him a complement. Both were something she would have never expected.  
  
After another somewhat awkward pause, Nash gestured towards the bed. "Well then. Shall we get some rest?" He proceeded into the bed, laying on his side to save some room for her.  
  
Chris hesitated. She must be insane to share a bed with a man like him. Nevertheless, she wasn't going to back out now. Not unless she wanted to be mocked for the rest of her days because of it.  
  
She slowly eased herself into the bed, but before she lay down, Nash stopped her.  
  
"Wait." He reached his hand up towards her, slowly, and she froze. "You can't sleep with your hair all up like that." He reached behind her head, and within a few seconds, removed the few pins that were holding her hair up. Silver hair tumbled down over his hand and her shoulders. "There. You should feel more comfortable now." He explained quietly, dumping the pins on the nightstand beside them.  
  
"Uh. . . Thanks. . ." She said, slightly flustered. She blew out the candle and tried to settle in.  
  
The next few minutes were sounds of rustling sheets as they tried to get comfortable in the decidedly small bed, without compromising their positions too much. However, eventually they both lay flat on their backs, side by side, shoulders touching due to the lack of space. They fell silent.  
  
"Chris?" Nash's voiced asked from the dark.  
  
"What?"  
  
"I touched you when I let your hair down. Why didn't you draw your sword?" His voice sounded sincere enough, but Chris was suspicious. Was he trying to provoke her again?  
  
"The gesture implied by it was not indecent." She replied curtly.  
  
More silence followed.  
  
"There'd be more room if you let me put my arm around you." He stated simply.  
  
"Nash!"  
  
"I'm serious!"  
  
"What would your 'missus' think?!"  
  
"Heh heh heh."  
  
"I'm not even going to ask what that implies!" Chris exclaimed, exasperated.  
  
Another few minutes passed without a sound, save for the sound of their breathing, and the occasional rustling of sheets when one of them moved a little.  
  
Finally Chris shivered. "Why is it so cold in here?" She asked, pulling her side of the sheets tighter around her.  
  
Nash sighed. "It's a rundown inn in a recently raided town. What did you expect princess, a cheery fireplace and a king-sized bed?"  
  
"Don't call me that!"  
  
"It'd be warmer if you let me put my arm around you."  
  
Chris did not answer. The offer was suddenly quite tempting.  
  
"Should I take your silence to mean that you won't consider the act to be indecent, and I won't be risking the safety of various limbs and appendages of mine?" He asked.  
  
Again, there was no response. After a long moment of hesitation, Nash moved his arm behind and around her shoulders, and she complied by lifting her head, then resting it on his shoulder under his chin.  
  
It *was* warmer, Chris thought, and did not stop herself from nuzzling slightly into the warmth of Nash's body.  
  
Wait a minute! She was *nuzzling* Nash???  
  
Her body stiffened slightly as the realization dawned on her. What was she doing? This position was much to compromising! He could do whatever he wanted to her, and she would not have the physical advantage to resist! But no matter how this logic screamed in her mind, she could not move. She didn't really want to.  
  
Nash's suddenly spoke, apparently oblivious to Chris' apprehensive thoughts. "Chris. . . Thank you. For putting a little trust in me, I mean. I know I joke around a lot but. . ." He trailed off, as though having second thoughts about what he was saying.  
  
"But what?" She couldn't help but ask.  
  
He shifted slightly, possibly due to uneasiness. "I respect you. As much as you say you hate me, I respect you and I want to help you to find strength to get through this Flame Champion thing. I would never hurt you Chris. Sometimes I don't think you realize that."  
  
She couldn't see his face through the dark to confirm this, but she never thought she'd heard him say anything so sincerely. It was so strange to hear him speak this way, so unguarded, and as a result she found it hard to reply.  
  
"Nash. . ."  
  
She said nothing more, unable to find a coherent reply. A long moment passed.  
  
"Would you consider it indecent of me to kiss your forehead goodnight?" He asked suddenly.  
  
"Nash!"  
  
"Would you?"  
  
"Are you going to this all night?" She asked desperately, although not without humour. She couldn't deny to herself that she would like it.  
  
"Shall I take that as your consent?"  
  
There was no reply from Chris, and Nash cleared his throat as though giving her one last chance to object. When no objection arose, he hesitantly brushed the hair from her face, and softly pressed his warm lips against her forehead for several long moments. He withdrew slowly, his face lingering over hers for what seemed like a long time. However, with a contented sigh, he finally leaned his head back onto his pillow.  
  
"Goodnight, princess."  
  
Chris did not respond. For once, the teasing reference to royalty did not anger her. She was too busy revelling in the memory of the kiss, her forehead still tingling where his soft, undemanding lips had been. For once, she felt content. They would obtain the hammer first thing tomorrow morning, and somehow it didn't seem so wrong for her to let her guard down right now.  
  
"Nash," She whispered suddenly, "I don't show it, but I really do appreciate your help. Also. . . I don't hate you. . . I never hated you. . ."  
  
But after she said it, she realized from his deep, steady breathing that he had already fallen asleep. After a moment's pause, she snuggled into his warm shoulder and let sleep claim her exhausted form too.  
  
She didn't fret that he didn't hear her confession; somehow she was sure that he already knew. After all, wasn't he was always one step ahead of her?  
  
~Fin~  
  
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A/N: Well there you have it. My short n' sweet Chris/Nash fic. I really hope you liked it! I tried reeeeally hard to keep them in character, but lets face it, with fanfiction you got to take a few liberties, right? Please review, and thank you SO much for taking the time to read this! *hugs readers* If you did like this, I have another Chris/Nash fic on the way, that's decidedly more romantic than this one. ^.~ Again, thank you so much for reading!!! 


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